How to Tell a Story
by Skypaw298
Summary: This is the story of how to tell a story. Rated T just in case. Of course it's Warriors-related. You'll see...
1. Chapter 1

"Redwhisker-sensei, Redwhisker-sensei, Redwhisker-sensei!" chanted a loud voice.

The fire-furred tom turned around, his starry pupils twitching. "Yeah, Nighty?"

The small black cat bounded up excitedly, his eyes shining. "Tell me a story, Redwhisker-sensei, please! You said you would!"

Redwhisker cleared his throat and sat down in the leafy foliage. "That I did, didn't I," he grumbled to himself, thinking on what he had promised that morning.

Nightbolt sat too and stared hopefully at his former mentor.

After a moment, Redwhisker sighed and smiled at the cat before launching into his tale...

"It was a dark and stormy night," he began, then paused. "Wait, no, that's not it." He tried again. "A, B, C, D-" He mumbled something else and shook his head. "Let me try again! Dora, Dora, the explorer!"

Nightbolt shifted his paws nervously at Redwhisker's continuous false starts.

"All you gotta do is think, think, thiiiink! We can use our minds, take a step at a time, and we can do anything- that we wanna do!" He barked in a weird way.

"Redwhisker-sensei," interrupted Nightbolt, rolling his eyes. "This isn't a very good story..."

The red cat snapped, "I'm working on it!" Then, he had an idea and a lightbulb clicked on over his head. He reached up a pink paw to switch it off, and turned to Nightbolt. "Let's make our own story!" he mewed excitedly. "It will have lots of adventure, romance, treasure, and... and... adventure!"

The smaller cat's eyes lit up. "That sounds like fun! But... how will we do that...?"

Redwhisker smiled grimly. "Never fear, the Imagination Choo-Choo is here!"

…

"So, how does this work again, Reddif-sensei?" Nightbolt whined, looking dubiously at the big shoe they were sitting in.

"The Choo-Choo Shoe will take us to Candy Mountain!" Redwhisker chirped in a high voice.

"What."

"Candy Mountain, Charlie! Candy Mountaiinn!"

Nightbolt hopped out of the shoe. "What about making our own story," he complained. "I want it to be original, not a rip-off of Secret Agent Bob from Youtube!"

Redwhisker clambered out too. "You're right, Nighty," he said in a normal voice. "Time for Plan B!"

"What's Plan B?"

"Come with me!" Redwhisker yowled and dashed off through the forest.

Nightbolt ran after him, struggling to keep up because he was so short. Eventually they came upon a big building with open doors. It looked like a train station but nobody was there and the ticket booths were closed. There were cobwebs everywhere and it looked like it had been abandoned for years. "R-Redwhisker-sensei," Nightbolt whimpered, staying close by his side. "Where... where are we?"

Redwhisker grinned at his charge and took his paw, dragging him forward. "This is the Crossingroads between reality...and fantasy," his dark eyes glinted and he padded up to a closed ticket booth and pounded on the wall: "Hey, open up, Rocky! It's me, you doofus!"

Immediately, the shutter slid up and a buff, mean-looking Rottweiler peered out, and when his eyes alighted on the tom's face, he broke into a wide grin. "Red! Hey," he bruffed happily. "What brings you to this neck o' the woods?"

Redwhisker patted Nightbolt's shoulder and showed his razor teeth in a wide Cheshire Cat grin. "I promised Nighty here a story this morning, and he's gonna get one!"

"Oh ho ho, a story, eh?" Rocky scrutinized Nightbolt closely with one eye. "Looks like a good little 'un. Your son?" he added to Redwhisker, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, no, no, no," Redwhisker laughed, holding his paws out in front of him. "He tagged along with me after I was run out of my Clan, he was my apprentice."

Rocky's eyebrows inched higher. "Looks like a lot has happened since I saw ya last," he said gruffly. He looked a bit sad, or so Nightbolt thought, but the dog brightened up again and tapped at a keyboard just inside the window. "So, where you off to, Red?" he asked. "Tickets are on me!"

Redwhisker smiled at his friend. "Thanks, pal, two one-way tickets to Hollow Central, please."

The dog tapped another button and two tickets slid out of a slot and he handed them to Redwhisker, who nodded his thanks. "Your ride leaves as soon as you're ready, just go through that door, you know the one." Rocky murmured good-bye and the cat and dog shook paws warmly. Then the metal grate slid shut and the two companions were on their own again in the spooky empty building.

Nightbolt was bursting with questions and stared wide-eyed at Redwhisker. "Who was that? Where are we? Where are we going? How are we-?"

An annoyed glance from Redwhisker shut him up for the moment, and they padded over to the door that Rocky had indicated. Redwhisker rested his paw on the doorknob, and turned to Nightbolt. "What do you want to go on? It could be anything: horse-drawn carriage, bus, train, plane... anything. Use your imagination."

Nightbolt was taken aback. "Er, anything?" Redwhisker nodded. "How about... on an elephant?"

Redwhisker smiled and nodded, then opened the door. Nightbolt's jaw dropped. An elephant was kneeling in the middle of a huge room and it was garbed in elegant cloths and diamonds and a royal seat was draped over its back with a purple velvet canopy for shade.

"This...this is...what is this place, sensei?" He turned to Redwhisker in wonder.

The tom merely smiled and said, "A place where your dreams come true."

…

The ride on the elephant was pleasantly smooth, not at all bumpy the way Nightbolt had thought it would be. When they'd exited the room through a tall set of double doors, the black cat found they weren't even in the forest anymore. Instead, they traveled through a boiling desert devoid of any life, with large sand dunes as far as the eye could see. The sun was high in the sky when they'd started their journey and slowly set as time went on. Luckily though, they had plenty of refreshments atop the elephant. Nightbolt's glass of water with cold ice cubes never seemed to empty and the canopy brought luxurious shade underneath the otherwise sweltering sun.

When Nightbolt started to feel hungry, he said so to Redwhisker, who pointed behind him with a lazy smile on his face. Nightbolt turned and saw a platter of food that hadn't been there before. There were dark hunks of meat (his sensei called it "chicken"), and delicious-smelling white sticky stuff with a salty black liquid dribbled over it (it was "rice" with "soy sauce"), and even more pieces of meat that Redwhisker-sensei said was called "beef jerky"!

Nightbolt scarfed it all down and serving after serving kept reappearing whenever he thought he wanted more. After he was full, the platter disappeared and the black cat contentedly fell asleep next to Redwhisker.

Hours later, Nightbolt opened his eyes and sat up sleepily. The sun had set just below the horizon and the sky was streaked with pink, purple, and orange. Stars were starting to pop out and the black cat looked at Redwhisker, whose whiskers were twitching excitedly as he stared over the elephant's head.

"Are we almost there?" Nightbolt asked curiously, climbing over the velvet spread cautiously to sit beside his former mentor.

Redwhisker nodded. Then he gasped and pointed. "Look! I see The Tower!" he exclaimed.

"Where? Where?" Nightbolt strained his eyes but all he could see was sand for miles all around.

Redwhisker quivered from ear to tail. "You'll see soon! We're getting closer, I can feel it!"

Nightbolt decided his friend was crazy and curled up for another nap to await their arrival at this... Hollow Central place.

Several more hours had gone by when Nightbolt finally woke up. He took a sip from his glass of water and turned drowsily to Redwhisker. "Are we there yet?" he mumbled. A shadow passed over the elephant and the canopy and Nightbolt peeked behind them. They had just passed under a gate! He gasped. They were here! Nightbolt scrambled back to Redwhisker who was sliding off the elephant. Nightbolt followed, his hind paws thumping into the soft sand.

Redwhisker patted the elephant's trunk and it brayed happily, waving its snout in goodbye. Then it turned around and lumbered away. Nightbolt tried to look around to see where it had gone, but it had disappeared into thin air.

Redwhisker beckoned Nightbolt to come with him and they trotted up to the city gates. A leopard was sprawled in a chair in the gatehouse and she peered out the window to look at the two arriving cats.

"Hullo, may I help you, sir?" she purred.

Redwhisker blinked warmly at her. "Yes, we would like to enter Hollow Central."

The leopard pursed her lips and stared suspiciously at them. "The mayor says no one is to be let in after curfew," she growled. "Didn't you know that?"

Redwhisker shook his head. "No, ma'am, we're just visiting, this is the first we've heard of those terms."

The leopard's eyes softened. "Well, if that's the case, I'll let you two in, but just this once. Got it?"

The toms nodded and the leopard wrote something down in a notepad, then clicked a red button. The inner gates creaked open and Redwhisker led the way in. "Guess the mayor is a new thing here," Nightbolt heard Redwhisker muttering to himself as they walked down a rocky path beside a tall building. The red cat entered the building through glass double-doors and Nightbolt followed.

This was a hotel. Nightbolt could see that because the words 'Central Hollow Hotel' were engraved in the wall behind a large round clerk desk. A tired-looking white cat wearing small rectangular glasses was sitting behind the desk in a short spinny chair. The cat pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and perked up, looking warily at the strangers. "Er, yes?"

"How much is a room for one night?" Redwhisker asked, pulling out his wallet.

"Seventy-five dollars. Four hundred for a full week, if you so choose." He ticked away at an old monitor, squinting his eyes to look closely at something on the screen.

Redwhisker slapped his credit card on the counter. "Just one night is all we need, really," he assured the white cat.

The cat nodded and scanned the card, typed something and printed out a receipt. "Here's your room card," he meowed, sliding a piece of plastic onto the counter. "Your room is on the fourth floor, room 450. Have a nice stay."

Redwhisker smiled, stuffing the card into his wallet and sauntered off to the elevator. Nightbolt padded after him and they went up to the room. Redwhisker let them in and Nightbolt bounded in, flinging himself onto a bed.

"This is great!" he hooted, bouncing on the edge and did a somersault.

Redwhisker grinned at the playful kitten and slid onto the other bed. "Better get some rest, Nighty, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He lay his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

Nightbolt quit bouncing and sprawled on top of the blankets, flailing his limbs in excitement. "Okay, Redwhisker-sensei," he chirped.

"Sweet dreams."

The next morning, Nightbolt got up early and made his bed dutifully. Then he jumped on top of Redwhisker to wake him up.

"Get up, sensei, get up!" he sang.

"Oof! Gerroffame!" Redwhisker grunted, and fell off the bed as Nightbolt wildly bounced on it. He peeked over the edge and hissed at the smaller tom who then jumped off and raced for the door.

"I'm hungry! Let's go hunt!" Nightbolt squealed.

Redwhisker shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "There's no hunting in Hollow Central, it's against the law."

Nightbolt looked crestfallen. "But what will we eat?" he cried.

"We can go to IHOP!' Redwhisker grinned. Pancakes! Waffles! French toast!

The black tom was puzzled, for he had never heard of IHOP before. "What is… I hop?"

Redwhisker led Nightbolt out of the hotel. "You'll see," he simply replied.

And Nightbolt did see. The cats traveled a few blocks deeper into the city, which was slowly starting to buzz with more civilians, and they finally reached a one-story white building with a blue roof. A sign just outside the window said, "IHOP - Open."

The bell jangled as they padded in the door, and a pretty pink poodle with a curly afro and a nametag that said 'Pippi', immediately greeted them and showed them to a vacant table. It was early enough in the morning that the restaurant was hardly a quarter full, with business men enjoying a cup of coffee before work and a few early-rising students getting to work on their studies before the school day began.

Redwhisker picked up his menu and looked through it. Nightbolt flipped his open and looked at the choices as Pippi poured cold water into their glasses. "Any drinks I can get for you, boys?" she drawled in a distinct Southern accent, taking out a pen and a notepad from her apron pocket.

"Coffee'd be nice, extra creamer if you please," Redwhisker muttered from behind his menu.

The poodle scribbled something on the notepad and turned to Nightbolt. "And you, dear?"

Nightbolt glanced up. "Er, orange juice, please," he said, smiling shyly.

Pippi winked and padded away, stowing her pen and pad back into her apron.

Nightbolt turned back to his menu and squinted at the choices. "What do you recommend, sensei?" he mewed. "There are too many to choose from!"

"I would go with the Mickey Mouse pancakes if I were you," Redwhisker replied. "Those are delicious!"

Nightbolt looked at the picture and nodded. "Well, I do like chocolate," he conceded.

"Everybody does, hon!" Pippi had come back. "Here are your drinks, m'dears." The poodle set the glasses by the respective customers. "Are y'all ready to order now?"

Nightbolt nodded and pointed to the pancakes. Pippi scribbled in her handy-dandy notepad, grinning. She must like chocolate too, Nightbolt thought. Redwhisker ordered his own breakfast and off Pippi went to the kitchens, the now-unnecessary menus tucked under her arm.

Nightbolt leaned his chest into the edge of the table, and stared intently at Redwhisker who had busied himself with his coffee. "So, sensei," the tom began uncertainly.

"Mhm?"

"What are we...doing after this?" He was curious.

Redwhisker finished getting his coffee ready and took a sip. Putting the mug down, he arched his back in a tight stretch. "I think we'll start the day off by going to see my friend, Heatclaw. He knows a few stories that we can take inspiration from."

Nightbolt's eyes widened and he crossed his arms, leaning back. "What's Heatclaw like?"

Redwhisker winced a little. "He's, uh, quite eccentric. I'm sure you'll find him very interesting."

"What does he do?"

"He's deputy of his Clan, and I expect he'll become leader eventually; the current leader is very old and down to his last two lives." Redwhisker took another sip from his mug.

Nightbolt stared out the window. Cars were zooming past, on their way to work or some other place. Buildings soared into the sky on either side of the street and the air was hung with a quiet coolness. It was as if the city wasn't in the middle of the desert at all. What was this place, Nightbolt found himself wondering again.

"Sensei, does Heatclaw live very far from here? Is there a park or something nearby that is his territory?" Nightbolt asked.

Redwhisker nodded, paused, then shook his head. "Heatclaw lives very very far," he murmured. "But it won't take long to get there."

Nightbolt gestured out the window. "This city is so big, I bet there isn't a peaceful place for miles. How will we get there?" He picked up his glass of orange juice and took a hesitant sip.

"By portal."

Nightbolt spewed his juice into Redwhisker's face. "B-by what?" he spluttered, hurriedly grabbing some napkins and handing them to his former mentor, mortified to have gotten his sensei's fur dripping. Redwhisker wiped himself off calmly, smirking at Nightbolt's shocked expression.

"Hollow Central is a gateway to all kinds of worlds," he explained, putting the damp napkins to the side. "It's the place you go to when you need a rest between worlds and meeting up with friends from other worlds. Not a lot of people really know about this place."

Nightbolt gestured out the window again. The street was jampacked with morning traffic now. "Not a lot of people?" he echoed.

Redwhisker nodded and smiled mysteriously. "Hollow Central is a funny place," he said. "Not all of the creatures out there are real, living beings."

Nightbolt tilted his head. "What?"

"At least fifty percent of the people out there," Redwhisker pointed out the window, "are what some call NPCs. They are essentially robots with a personality chip installed inside their programming. They act just like real animals, like you or me, but they lack the capacity to have real feelings." The tom curled his lip in disgust. "It may seem like they do, but they are only going through the motions. In reality, they are just cold unfeeling pieces of metal."

Nightbolt gaped at Redwhisker. "So, the poodle-?" he turned around and looked at the doors that led to the kitchens.

"Oh, she's not one of them, thankfully," the red tom assured him. "She's breathing. Same with the leopard and the white cat. They have special tags, so you can tell which one they're dealing with."

Nightbolt stared into his glass of juice. Now that Redwhisker was explaining things...he felt more intrigued about this place.

"Here's your breakfast!" came an ecstatic yip. Nightbolt glanced up; Pippi had returned with their food!

Nightbolt pointed at Pippi and meowed in a hushed voice, "Can I see your tag thing?"

Pippi lolled her tongue out and laughed. "Oh, honey, only the NPCs have the tags," she explained.

Redwhisker smiled at the poodle. "I've been meaning to ask someone, but how are things here?"

Pippi was caught off-guard for a moment. Her tongue slurped back in and she coughed a little. "In Hollow Central? Er, not as bad as it used to be, the new mayor has managed to keep things under control so far. You haven't been here in a while, have you?"

Redwhisker shook his head. "Not for years."

The poodle shrugged. "You probably haven't read the New Laws then. I'd advise you to go down to the Council Hall and borrow a copy of the pamphlet. Enjoy your food!" She turned and walked away.

Nightbolt stared from her to Redwhisker, a forkful of pancake halfway to his mouth. He set the utensil down and frowned a little at his companion. "New Laws? Mayor?"

Redwhisker shook his head. "You don't need to worry about all that. It's grown-up stuff."

"What about going to the Council Hall? You probably should read up on the new laws…" Nightbolt trailed away and watched as a small gaggle of dalmations crossed the street, dodging inconsiderate taxicabs and impatient commuters going to work.

"I will later. But first, we're going to see Heatclaw," Redwhisker said firmly.

Nightbolt shrugged. "If ya say so, sensei." He eagerly inhaled more of his delicious chocolatey pancakes.

The two finished their meal, Redwhisker paid with his credit card and then they stepped out the door onto the sidewalk. "Where do we go, Redwhisker-sensei?" Nightbolt asked, looking back and forth down the street. A mean-looking pitbull leaned out the back window of a truck and called, "Strike a pose for me, pretty boy!" Redwhisker narrowed his eyes as the vehicle zoomed away, the dog and his buddies laughing raucously and high-pawing each other.

"Taxi!" Redwhisker called, sticking his thumb out, and a yellow taxicab pulled up in front of them.

"Where to," grunted the driver and Redwhisker told him to take them to Portal Square.

A half hour later of winding through traffic-ridden streets, they stopped at a park. "Fifteen dollars," the driver grunted, holding out a grubby paw. Redwhisker gave him a crisp twenty and the two clambered out onto the fresh springy grass.

"Huh, this is nice," Nightbolt said, impressed. He never thought such a vibrant park could exist in a large drab city like Hollow Central.

"It has to be," Redwhisker muttered.

They trotted past the fence and onto a path that led into a little wood. The red cat eyed a clump of bushes as they walked past and then bounded up to a gnarled old tree. He touched a knob on the trunk and there was a clicking noise.

Password? something unfamiliar said inside Nightbolt's mind and he jumped.

"Heatclaw forever," Redwhisker murmured, his eyes darting nervously from side to side.

Very good. You may proceed.

A door swung open that was made of the tree's bark and Redwhisker nudged Nightbolt and pointed inside. "Go on," he encouraged.

Nightbolt obliged and stepped cautiously into the dark trunk. All of a sudden, he was falling down a pitch-black tunnel. "Help!" he screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Help!" A pause. "Oof!"

Color melted slowly out of the blackness and Nightbolt snapped open his eyes.

"Incoming!" cried a voice and a heavy weight fell on top of the small cat, who then emitted a loud pained cry. "Oh, er, sorry, Nighty…"

Nightbolt looked sourly at his sensei. "That's quite alright," he muttered.

Redwhisker stood up and dusted himself off, then looked around. They were in a clump of bushes, surrounded by pine trees. The russet tom strained to look over the tops of the bushes. More pine trees; they were in a pine tree forest, in fact. That could only mean one thing: they were in DarkClan territory!

Redwhisker bit his lip in worry. The cats of DarkClan were known to be cold-hearted and cruel; the only thing worse than a DarkClan cat was a hungry fox. Those DarkClan cats wouldn't welcome strangers onto their territory.

"C'mon, Nightbolt, and be quiet," Redwhisker whispered over his shoulder as he crouched behind a pine tree. "We mustn't be spotted by the enemy."

Nightbolt's eyes grew wide in dismay. "Enemy? You didn't tell me this business would be dangerous!"

Redwhisker gazed softly back at Nightbolt. "Don't worry, Nighty-chan, I'll protect you."

Nightbolt spluttered in surprise. "Chan?" he hissed. "I'm not a she-cat for- mmf!" his loud voice had been cut off by Redwhisker's bushy tail. He batted it away from him, spitting out a rainbow of fur. "Stupid sparklecat," he muttered under his breath.

Redwhisker turned around. "Okay, so, I have a plan," he mewed to Nightbolt, who pricked his ears to listen. "Since we're really close to the DarkClan camp, we can't go directly to ForestClan's territory. We will have to travel around the lake."

Nightbolt pouted. "That's not fair! We won't be able to make it back to Hollow Central before the sun sets and I wanna sleep in a hotel again!"

Redwhisker cuffed his ear lightly. "There is no time limit on how long we can stay in a single world. And we're here on a mission, remember?"

Nightbolt nodded grumpily. "To make our own story."

Redwhisker smiled. "Right. Now, stay close by me and we'll be just fine." He crept out of the bushes, the small black tom right behind him. Looking around, Redwhisker slunk through the trees, scenting the air once in a while.

When they got to the edge of the pines, Nightbolt got a whiff of something strange and sinister. It reminded him of suspicious shadows in the dark, leering red eyes, emptiness, and that ever-creepy sense that you're being watched… "What is that smell, sensei?" he whimpered. "It's scaring me…"

Redwhisker cautiously scented and gasped. "DarkClan cats nearby," he hissed, pushing Nightbolt behind a tree.

Nightbolt's fur was fluffed out in fear. Even though he couldn't smell the cats now, his neck fur was still prickling as if someone were watching him. Taking a deep breath, he spun around. There, was that a movement in the trees? A branch was swaying but he saw it was just a crow that had landed on it. The black bird croaked hoarsely and fluttered away. Nightbolt pressed himself closer to the tree trunk, the bark smooth against his pelt. His eyes flickered around the woods, alert for telltale signs of cats nearby: the glint of an eye, the swish of a tail, the soft pit-pat of paws on the blanket of pine needles. Several heartbeats passed with both cats standing stock still and holding their breath, every sense straining to listen for approaching cats.

A few more heartbeats passed with nothing happening. Finally, Redwhisker took a deep breath and nudged Nightbolt. "It's okay, either they moved on or the wind just brought their fresh scent from somewhere else in the territory."

A loud screech drowned out the last of Redwhisker's words and the two whipped around, eyes wide in shock as two tabby balls of fur hurled themselves from the sky at them. Nightbolt shrieked as he was flattened and the air was driven out of him. A swift cuff to the head left him seeing stars and he was incapacitated for several heartbeats.

Next to him, Redwhisker was getting the same treatment, but he fought back, throwing the cat off him: he was a lot bigger, and the smaller attacker had only made him stagger slightly. Nightbolt's assailant was a dark brown tabby tom. He narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth in a snarl. Redwhisker snarled back.

Just as suddenly as the ambush had begun, it seemed to be over as the DarkClan cat's hackles relaxed and the light of battle had gone out of his eyes. He sat down and started grooming, smoothing down the ruffled fur.

Redwhisker relaxed too and sat down, tilting his head quizzically at the sudden change in attitude. The cat that had attacked him trotted over and sat down beside their companion. It was a silver tabby she-cat with round blue eyes. She looked to be the age of an apprentice, Redwhisker decided, and the dark brown tom must have been her mentor.

"You're not from around here," the tom meowed flatly after he finished.

Redwhisker shook his head. "We live very far away," he murmured.

He noticed that Nightbolt seemed to have snapped out of his daze and was now warily watching the DarkClan cats through narrowed eyes.

"I'm Flashpaw," the apprentice piped up, "and he's my mentor, Eaglefeather!"

Eaglefeather dipped his head. "I was so named for my skill in ambushing. An eagle swoops down on its prey, not a single feather out of place, flapping in the wind to give it away. I'm silent as an adder, deadly as one too." He narrowed his eyes in mock threat. "Just be glad I was using you two as target practice for my apprentice."

Redwhisker chuckled dryly. "We thank you. Anyway, I'm Redwhisker and this is my former apprentice, Nightbolt." He gestured to the black tom lying down beside him.

Eaglefeather looked thoughtful for a moment. "Those sound like Clan names," he growled suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not from around here? I think I might have seen you before at a Gathering… but you don't smell like any of the Clans I know."

"We're traveling to ForestClan territory. Could you take us there?" Nightbolt asked.

Eaglefeather's whiskers twitched. "ForestClan? What do you want with those pureblood freaks?"

Flashpaw shot an astonished glance at her mentor. "Don't say that!" she pleaded. "Someone might be listening!"

Ignoring Flashpaw, Redwhisker mewed, "Please, we'd like to talk with Heatclaw, he's an old friend of mine."

Eaglefeather flinched at the name. "You mean Heatstar," he muttered. "He became leader a few moons ago." He looked somber.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Redwhisker asked the warrior.

Eaglefeather shook his head. "Nothing. We'll take you to the DarkClan camp first."

The four arrived at the camp without meeting any other patrols on the way. A ginger warrior greeted them at the entrance. "Who are they?" the cat asked Eaglefeather, wrinkling his nose. "They smell funny."

Not half as funny as you do, Nightbolt thought, wrinkling his nose at the ginger tom.

Eaglefeather didn't answer, brushing past the younger warrior. "Flashpaw, go get a piece of fresh-kill. You did well today," he praised her.

The silver she-cat's eyes lit up. "Thanks!" she called as she scampered off to a pile of freshly-killed prey animals.

Nightbolt gazed around in wonder. He hadn't been in a Clan camp in so long, he had forgotten what it was like. The feeling of camaraderie between the cats here was nostalgic. Kits tossing around a moss ball, elders resting in the sun, cats sharing tongues and gossipping over the latest events. It was almost like coming home, Nightbolt reflected sadly. If only he had a home…

Eaglefeather padded over to the leader's den. "It's Eaglefeather. Flashpaw and I found a couple of loners by the pine tree forest."

He beckoned to the two, who followed him inside. Nightbolt's eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness and he blinked when he saw the leader. He was a tall, broad-shouldered, black tom. An oddly defining characteristic was the flame-colored fur around his eyes, on his legs, and down his tail. The tom's sky blue eyes widened as he stared at the newcomers.

"Redwhisker?!" he gasped. "What-? H-how did you-?!" DarkClan's leader practically threw himself at the equally surprised Redwhisker, covering his face and ears with enthusiastic licks.

"Heatclaw- I mean, Heatstar!" Redwhisker cried, a joyous look in his eyes.

Nightbolt stared at the two exclaiming toms. He could feel his face start to burn in embarrassment. The two had obviously been very good friends at an earlier time. What completely befuddles him, however, was that Heatstar was leader of DarkClan. Redwhisker had told him he lived in ForestClan, right? So why was Heatstar here?

"Er- Heatstar?" he mewed hesitantly. The two toms looked at him, then at each other, then they sheepishly shuffled away, clearly embarrassed at having greeted each other so enthusiastically.

"You must be little Nightpaw!" Heatstar purred. "Redwhisker told me so much about you last time he visited. Are you a warrior yet?"

Nightbolt nodded. "I'm Nightbolt now."

Heatstar beamed proudly at him as if Nightbolt had been his own apprentice. "What a splendid name!" he trilled. "Why, that reminds me of when I received my own warrior name! Heatclaw, ah, a mighty title for a mighty warrior, who would eventually become a mighty leader! And Nightbolt, that is such a darling name. So cute!" He touched a paw to Nightbolt's face, tracing the lightning-shaped scar across his left eye. "You got your name because of your scar, correct?" he asked in a softer tone.

Nightbolt nodded. "That's what I assume at least," he mewed.

Heatstar leaned back on his haunches. "You had a question for me, sugar?"

Nightbolt felt a little uncomfortable around this tom. Was there something wrong with him, or what? What was it about him? "Er, well, Redwhisker told me you lived in ForestClan," he mewed quietly. "So why are you here?"

Redwhisker looked sharply at Heatstar. "I would also like to know," he murmured.

Heatstar looked a little flustered. "Eaglefeather, you may go," he dismissed the warrior. The brown tom dipped his head and left. Heatstar settled himself in his nest. "Well, you see, I am leader of both ForestClan and DarkClan," he mewed.

"What?!" Redwhisker yelped, shock showing in his eyes.

Heatstar leapt to his feet and pressed his nose to his old friend's shoulder. "Please, you must understand! DarkClan's leader lost his life in a border dispute between our two Clans. Since the deputy fled to another Clan to be with his mate, these poor cats were without leadership, and I stepped up and took charge." His eyes glittered. "I had been chosen by StarClan to lead ForestClan and DarkClan, and to unite them under my rule. A new prosperous time has begun for the cats of the forest."

Redwhisker blinked. "Unite them? But haven't there always been four Clans? Ever since the first leaders roamed the first forests, there has always been ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan! Up until the time their names were changed, there have always been four. What are you naming this new Clan, anyway?"

Heatstar beamed happily. "I'm glad you asked that, darling! I've decided to name it FireClan."

The flame-furred tom reeled back in shock. Nightbolt rushed up to his side. "Sensei?" he whimpered. "Are you okay?"

Redwhisker shook his head violently, as if trying to shake something off. "Heatstar," he rasped. "F-FireClan? But why?"

Heatstar frowned. "I thought you would be happy," he pouted, "You told me what happened to your birth Clan, so I wanted to rebuild it, a place where every cat can be happy, with no more fighting or boundary disputes. I named it FireClan for you, my dear." He gazed softly at Redwhisker. "Don't you like it?"

Redwhisker took a deep breath. "Nightbolt," he mewed shakily, "go get some fresh-kill. Heatstar and I need to talk alone."

Nightbolt's whiskers quivered. "Well, okay," he mewed quietly and left the den. Looking up at the sky, he could see it was just past sunhigh. 'Wow, time sure has been dragging.' He padded over to the fresh-kill pile and chose a tasty-looking mouse. As he settled down to eat it, he spotted Flashpaw chatting animatedly with a few other apprentices. She caught his eye and came bounding over.

"Hi, Nightbolt," she purred, sitting in front of him. "How are you liking DarkClan so far?"

Nightbolt finished his mouse quickly and sat up straight, running his tongue around his mouth. That mouse tasted good! He hadn't realized how much he missed freshly-killed prey after his short time in Hollow Central. "It reminds me of my own Clan," he replied, gazing around the camp. "It's really similar. There's the elder den, apprentices' den, and you have a fresh-kill pile too!" His whiskers drooped; he stared at the ground and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Flashpaw asked, touching her nose to his cheek.

Nightbolt let out a sharp breath. "I miss my Clan."

"Why don't you go back, then?" Flashpaw asked curiously.

Nightbolt stared intensely at her. "It's a long story." He hesitated. "And it's not for all ears."

Flashpaw glanced discreetly around the camp. "Then we'll go to the abandoned fox den and talk there," she decided.

Nightbolt gazed at the leader's den. "What about Redwhisker?" he hedged, anxiety creeping into his mew.

"We'll tell Amberclaw that we're going for a walk." The silver apprentice beckoned forth a golden she-cat crouching by the camp entrance. The warrior trotted over, her eyes brightening in interest when she spotted who Flashpaw was sitting by. "Nightbolt, this is Amberclaw, DarkClan's deputy," Flashpaw introduced them.

Nightbolt dipped his head in greetings to the she-cat, feeling hot under his fur as she scrutinized him. "Er, hello," he squeaked.

Amberclaw smiled. "Hi, Nightbolt. Don't worry, I don't bite. Unless you happen to get under my fur," she added, a glint in her eye. A heartbeat passed, then she burst out laughing. Nightbolt exchanged a glance with Flashpaw. She looked amused, whiskers twitching at his expression. Amber snorted, her laughter finally dying down. "Ah, kits these days," she mewed, shaking her head. "Anyway, what can I do ya for, Flashpaw?"

"Just tell Heatstar and Redwhisker when they come out that we're going for a walk."

Amberclaw smiled knowingly at the two. "Ah, going for a romantic stroll in the moonlight, I see?"

"N-no!" Nightbolt stammered. "Er, I mean, the sun is still out? And, it-it's not nighttime yet?"

Amberclaw leaned closer to him. "Are you sure?" she purred.

"I-I-…!"

Flashpaw rolled her eyes at the incoherent Nightbolt. "Let's go," she rumbled, wrapping her tail around his neck and lightly tugging him towards the camp entrance. He went willingly with her, glancing back for one last embarrassed look at Amberclaw, but she had disappeared.

"Why, exactly, is she deputy?" Nightbolt gasped when they were out of hearing range of the camp. "And if Heatstar wanted to unite DarkClan and ForestClan into FireClan, why are there still separate camps?"

Flashpaw was silent for several heartbeats. "I'm not sure how much I should tell you," she admitted. "I don't know how long you're staying."

"Probably a few days," Nightbolt meowed.

Flashpaw sighed. "I'll just tell you everything I know." She flicked her ears, staring ahead with a thoughtful look on her face. "I'll start with Amberclaw. She came from ForestClan with Heatstar when he took- became leader," she quickly amended. Nightbolt raised an eyebrow. "Heatstar brought several warriors with him when he came to DarkClan. He appointed a deputy and leader for ForestClan when he left. The leader doesn't take the 'star' part of a leader's name because they are only placeholders for Heatstar. He's still official leader there, he just placed a cat there to be in charge of the camp.

"Heatstar goes back and forth between the camps, making sure they get along and aren't suffering or anything." She took a deep breath. "And Eaglefeather and I have reason to believe he is plotting to take over StreamClan and MoorClan."

Nightbolt blinked in shock. "What?" he yelped.

Flashpaw's eyes filled with pain. "I'm really scared, Nightbolt," she whispered. "The first few quarter moons after he became leader, he was really nice and made sure that every cat felt comfortable about having him as leader. He told us it was foretold in a prophecy by StarClan that he would become leader of DarkClan as well as ForestClan. So, a lot of cats accepted him and he has a lot of loyal cats in the Clan. Half a moon ago, a warrior, Russetnose, was talking to Eaglefeather about how Heatstar was inviting him to his nest every night. He kept refusing though. The next day, a couple of dogs got loose and a patrol went to fight them off. And… Russetnose was killed."

Nightbolt stared at his feet. "That doesn't mean Heatstar had anything to do with it," he pointed out softly.

Flashpaw shook her head, her eyes shining wetly. "Heatstar is a very bad cat," she whispered. "Please tell Redwhisker to watch what he says around him."

Nightbolt halted. "They're talking in Heatstar's den right now."

Flashpaw frowned. "About what?"

"I...I'm not sure. Redwhisker told me to leave because he and Heatstar needed to talk alone." Nightbolt cocked his head. "He didn't seem to be in danger, but he looked very upset when Heatstar mentioned FireClan." His eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot," he mewed softly.

Flashpaw inched forward. "What is it?"

Nightbolt glanced around. The camp was far behind them and there was a tall tree several foxlengths away to their left. He squinted and looked ahead of him. There seemed to be a bush-surrounded clearing up ahead. "Is that the fox den you were talking about earlier?" he asked.

Flashpaw nodded.

"Then let's go there and I'll tell you what I know," he mewed, picking up his pace. Soon the two of them were bounding side by side across the dried mud. There were still a few bogs that hadn't yet dried from the sun, but Flashpaw taught Nightbolt to use the clumps of grass as they ran. The grass was firmer there.

The pair soon reached the small grove, climbing through the thick bushes into the sandy clearing. Nightbolt slipped his paw through the sand, staring in fascination as the grains stuck to his fur and fell between his toes. "It's so soft!" he marveled.

Flashpaw smiled, whiskers twitching. "It's called sand."

Nightbolt let the sand fall from his paw and scented the air. "It smells a little like fox," he mewed anxiously.

The silver tabby nodded. "That would be the abandoned fox den," she explained. "This way!" She led him to the edge of the clearing where there was a small hole reeking of fox.

Nightbolt backed away a few steps. "If it's been abandoned, why does it smell so fresh?"

Flashpaw sniffed. "Smells stale to me," she mewed. She slipped in, calling over her shoulder, "Come in, it's fine! No fox here!"

Nightbolt wriggled in after her. It was a bit of a tight squeeze with his broad shoulders, but he managed to squeeze through. The den was very dark and musty. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Flashpaw exclaimed. "So, what were you saying about FireClan?"

Nightbolt squinted into the darkness; he couldn't make out anything in this cramped space. The scent of fox overpowered his senses so he couldn't even tell where Flashpaw was unless she kept talking. "Well," he began, "Redwhisker and I were both born in FireClan. I don't remember anything of it, though, because I was only there for a few days."

"Why is that?" Flashpaw's voice came out of the darkness.

"There were-," Nightbolt paused. The fox scent was so strong now, his eyes were beginning to water. "Are you sure this den has been abandoned?" he whispered.

"Erm, well, it appeared to be last time I was here." Flashpaw sounded hesitant now.

Nightbolt's heart started to pound. If a fox really did live here, they would be trapped! Unless… "Flashpaw, do you think there's an exit back there?"

"I don't know, let me check!" Nightbolt heard scrabbling and rocks clattering against the walls. "Hold on, the den gets wider back here," he heard her echo from farther back.

Nightbolt slithered across the floor painfully. The rocks scraped against his elbows until it seemed like he could raise his head without banging it against the ceiling. Letting out a breath of relief, he stretched cramped muscles and continued through the tunnel. Then he noticed it was getting lighter. There was another entrance! He had been right.

Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek sounded from ahead. "I'm coming, Flashpaw, hold on!" Nightbolt yowled, racing out of the den. He spotted the silver apprentice cowering against a rock as a huge dogfox advanced on her, jaws parted in a snarl, eyes narrowed in unbridled fury at finding a trespasser on its territory.

Screeching a challenge, Nightbolt bounded towards the fox. The russet-furred creature whipped around, snarling in defiance. The black tom lashed out a paw, clawing at the fox's muzzle. The blow connected and a shock ran up Nightbolt's arm. He gritted his teeth at the pain and dodged the fox's snapping teeth, just a whisker from his ear.

The two circled each other, each looking for the other's weakness. Nightbolt flicked his gaze to Flashpaw, but the she-cat had already bounded to his side, her eyes hardened in determination and eagerness to battle. He nodded to her and the two rushed at the fox, letting out bloodcurdling screams.

Nightbolt thrust his shoulder against the surprised fox's flank, knocking it over, and Flashpaw clamped her teeth hard on its bushy tail. The fox ripped its tail from her grasp, leaving her with a mouthful of fur, then it dug its teeth into Nightbolt's paw, dragging him to the ground with it and causing the black warrior to yelp in pain.

Flashpaw threw her weight onto the fox's side, knocking the breath from it, and she clawed clumps of fur from its pelt. Nightbolt snapped his teeth over the fox's muzzle and it snarled at the pain. It scrambled to its feet, shaking the two cats off, and it fled from the copse, heading north.

Flashpaw panted, staring after it. "And don't come back!" she yowled.

Nightbolt looked down at her. "You fought well," he commented, reaching his head around to lick down the ruffled fur on his back.

Flashpaw nodded. "You too. We should probably go back to camp. She turned away from him and stalked through the bushes, leading the way back.

Nightbolt stared after her for a moment, then followed after. Why is she acting so strange all of a sudden? His eyes darkened in thought. There's something she's not telling me…

…

Redwhisker watched Nightbolt bound over to the fresh-kill pile and glanced back at Heatstar. The ebony-furred leader was staring at him sadly. "Is he your son?" he asked.

Redwhisker stiffened. "It's none of your business," he mewed flatly.

Heatstar flinched, his eyes showing his pain. "You can't confide in your best friend?" He inched closer. "Your...lover?"

Redwhisker looked at the ground. "No. That chapter of my life is over." He took a deep breath. "Heatstar, I still love you, but… I can't do this with you anymore. I have a life of my own, in my own world, and you have yours." He shut his eyes tight. "The fact that you've named your new Clan FireClan? It's part of my life, not yours. And it's a part that I really don't want to revisit. It would… it would kill me to stay here for very long. Do… do you understand?"

Heatstar leaned against the flamed loner. "I do understand," he mewed softly. "I really do. I've seen loved ones die, so many that I've hardened my heart to all...except you. You are the light of my life, Redwhisker. Without you…" He stifled a sob. "I don't know what I'd do," he whispered.

Redwhisker licked his ear. "I can stay with you for one night," he murmured. "Then Nightbolt and I have to go."

Heatstar nodded, unable to speak. Redwhisker started grooming him, rasping his tongue through his fur. The rhythmic stroking seemed to lull the black tom to sleep and Redwhisker curled up beside him, closing his eyes to the world.

…

It was moonhigh, the most glorious time of the night. A dark shadow crept through the pines, pausing every few heartbeats or so to scent the air. A rustle came from the bushes in front of it and the shadow stopped cold, seeming to blend into the dark scenery. A ginger she-cat stepped out of the foliage. Her emerald eyes flashed in the moonlight. "Heatstar," she mewed formally, dipping her head, "my liege."

"What news have you?" the warrior growled.

"One of my elite spies heard a certain silver apprentice tell the strange black cat everything that happened." Her eyes narrowed. "She must be punished."

Heatstar curled his lip in a sneer. "That is for me to decide, Amberclaw," he growled. He sat up and looked at the sky. "Send one of your assassins. Both the traitorous apprentice and the black one."

Amberclaw dipped her head dutifully, her eyes glittering. "Your wish is my command, O Great and Prophecied One."


	3. Chapter 3

Nightbolt woke up, stiff and sore from his fight with the dogfox the day before. Blinking open his soft, sky blue eyes, the former warrior glanced around the den. Flashpaw was sleeping in the nest beside him and a few other apprentices slept in the back. Redwhisker was nowhere to be seen. Nightbolt started to panic when he realized the older tom wasn't there, but then remembered their exchange the night before.

_Redwhisker and Heatstar padded out of the leader's den, their fur ruffled and messy as if they had been sleeping. Nightbolt was waiting by the fresh-kill pile and as soon as he saw his former mentor, he trotted over, an anxious look clear on his face._

_"R-redwhisker-sensei," he stammered nervously, full to bursting with the news that Flashpaw had told him. "I need to talk to you!"_

_"Not now, Nighty," said Redwhisker, blinking rapidly as the bright sun nearly blinded him after staying in Heatstar's dark, cool den for so long. The sun was setting now, but it still had the power to hurt a cat's eyes. "Heatstar and I are going out for a hunt, and I need you to stay here and help guard the camp."_

_Nightbolt flinched. "O-okay," he muttered. His mentor always had time for his apprentice, had even said so himself: 'If you need to talk to me about something, Nightpaw, anything at all, just say so, and I'll be there for you. Always.' Nightbolt shook his head, trying to escape the memory. That was right after Redwhisker had told him the horrible truth about their birth Clan. Nightbolt had been a moon into his apprenticeship then, and Redwhisker had always seemed like a father to him after he realized his own parents must have died too. He wished Redwhisker was his real father, oh, how he wished it._

_"Guard against what?" Nightbolt asked._

_Heatstar laughed. "Our enemies, of course! Who else?"_

_Heatstar had enemies? Nightbolt wasn't surprised._

_"Anyway," continued Redwhisker, "we'll talk when I get back. You can sleep in the apprentices' den tonight, if you wish."_

_Nightbolt nodded. After they left, Flashpaw helped him gather moss for a nest and he settled down for the night, waiting for Redwhisker to come back. The sky grew ever darker._

_He didn't come back._

_Nightbolt tried not to worry, and it was soon getting impossible to stay awake. Slowly, slowly, his eyes closed, and then he was asleep._

Nightbolt scented the air in the den. He found a faint trace of Redwhisker's scent at the entrance, but it was from last night, probably when he got back from his hunt. The black tom crept out into the camp and looked up at the sky. The stars were still out, but the sky slowly started to grow lighter as the sun came up. A yawn from beside him made Nightbolt turn his head. It was Flashpaw.

"Good morning," she mewed, a lazy smile on her slender face.

Nightbolt noticed how the sun's rays turned her silver pelt a rosy hue and he smiled back. She was very pretty.

Flashpaw caught him staring and he looked away, embarrassed. She nudged his shoulder playfully. "Want to go hunting with me?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

Nightbolt grinned, grateful for the distraction. "Sure!" he exclaimed.

Flashpaw's blue eyes lit up. "Great, I'll go wake up Eaglefeather," she mewed, and headed for the warriors' den.

"Er," Nightbolt cut her off, "why don't we go alone?" he suggested. "I trained to be a warrior, remember? I can protect you just as well as your mentor can."

Flashpaw looked taken aback. "'Protect?'" she mewed, fur starting to bristle. "I don't need protecting on my own territory, thank you very much!"

Nightbolt flinched. "I- I mean, that's-... I didn't mean 'protecting,'" he finished lamely.

The silver tabby she-cat rolled her eyes at him and flicked her tail. "Let's just go," she muttered.

As the two headed out of camp, they didn't notice a dark shadow trailing them from behind.

…

Redwhisker gazed dully out the leader's den. He had barely been able to sleep at all last night, and though that was partly due to Heatstar's loud snoring, there were other things on his mind too. Such as, why had Heatstar really taken over the Clans? Was the StarClan in this world corrupted or just plain stupid? The red and orange tom had always known and disapproved of his best friend's treacherous ambition, but he had never thought the flamboyant tom's plans would actually come to fruition.

"R-redwhiskies?" mumbled Heatstar, rolling onto his back. "Come here, love."

Redwhisker sat up, purring, and gazed down at his gay lover. "What is it, hon?"

"I love you." Heatstar's eyes were partially open. "Please don't leave me again, dear."

The former warrior winced. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay," he murmured. "Nightbolt and I have to leave very soon."

Heatstar got to his paws and stared levelly at Redwhisker. "You will stay." There was no warmth in his eyes now, no laughter. The words were stern and commanding, an order. "We might not be able to have kits together, but I want you by my side. Always."

The flame-furred tom started backing away from the DarkClan and ForestClan leader, chilled by his change in demeanor. "I-I can't," he stammered. "I made a promise to Nightbolt and I won't renege on that promise. We still have a lot of places to go to."

Heatstar's eyes narrowed, a smug look in his eyes as if he knew something that Redwhisker didn't. "And then you will come back to me?" he purred, eyes burning with huge desire.

Redwhisker nodded. "I promise."

Heatstar sighed. "Very well, you may leave now."

Redwhisker formally dipped his head and scrambled out of the den, chest heaving. What had he done? He loved the crazy furball, of course, but… but, he was, essentially, crazy! The red tom was afraid something bad might happen to Nightbolt...it had happened before, to his entire Clan…

But! Now was not the time to be thinking of such things. He had to find Nightbolt and then they had to leave this place. It was too dangerous for either of them.

Redwhisker padded over to the camp entrance. Amberclaw was standing guard. "Do you know where Nightbolt is?" he asked her.

She nodded, a glint in her eye. "He and Flashpaw left camp not long ago," she replied.

"Thanks." Redwhisker trotted through the entrance and picked up their scent-trails easily. There was another one, slightly fresher, laid right over theirs. Huh, that's odd. Did someone else go with them? But Amberclaw said Nightbolt was with Flashpaw, no one else…

Something terrible clicked in his mind.

"I-It can't be," he murmured in horror. He ran, following the scent, only hoping he could get there before it was too late.

…

"Nice catch!" Nightbolt chirrupped, gazing fondly at Flashpaw.

She merely grunted, burying the frog under some leaf litter. "Easy prey for a kit," she growled. Obviously she was _still_ miffed about the black tom's comment from earlier. He rolled his eyes. Why couldn't she just let it go already?

"Besides, I'm not your apprentice," Flashpaw muttered, her tail lashing as she stalked past him. "So stop treating me like that, just because you have a warrior name and I don't."

Nightbolt blocked Flashpaw's way. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he meowed. "Excuse me? I was just praising your hunting skills, I wasn't mocking you or anything!"

The silver she-cat glared up at him. "And I told you, it's nothing to be praised for! A frog? Please, that's the easiest prey to catch there is!" She lifted herself on her toes, narrowing her eyes. "Just because I'm a girl and an apprentice, does _not_ mean you get to be condescending to me!" She lifted her tail in the air and stalked off, even more angry than before.

Nightbolt blinked in surprise and hurt. He really hadn't been trying to do those things to her… Maybe she was just sensitive… or maybe she was just being a girl. He shrugged it off. It wasn't his problem, anyway.

"There you are!" cried a voice. "I found you!"

Nightbolt turned around. Eaglefeather was padding up to the two of them, slightly out of breath. "What is it?" Nightbolt meowed, curious. Why had Flashpaw's mentor come all the way out here to meet them?

"H-heatstar…" he panted, "...called a meeting, and wanted everyone to attend." He blinked a few times. "He told me to come get you two."

Nightbolt turned back around to look for Flashpaw. She was a ways up ahead and he padded forward a few steps to tell her, but Eaglefeather pressed ahead instead. "I'll tell her," he meowed. "You go back to camp."

Nightbolt nodded. He started to head back to camp and was walking for several heartbeats when a red ball of fur barrelled into him. He gasped when he saw who it was. "Redwhisker!"

Redwhisker's deep blue eyes looked wild and frantic with worry. "Flashpaw, Eaglefeather… in danger… gotta save her!"

Nightbolt tilted his head. "Danger? What? Calm down, sensei…"

"No time!" Redwhisker looked over Nightbolt's shoulder and gasped. "No!" he screeched.

A blood curdling scream came from behind them and Nightbolt whipped around. "Flashpaw!" he yelled.

She lay crumpled at Eaglefeather's feet, blood gushing from a gash in her neck. The small silver tabby weakly looked up and croaked, "Nightbolt…"

Redwhisker and Nightbolt both stared at her then at Eaglefeather. Blood spattered his paws and a wicked grin filled his face. "I'm a great ambusher, you know," he hissed. "I strike when you least expect it."

Nightbolt was numb. Flashpaw… was she dead? No, she couldn't be… He felt so much regret, for all the things she could never be now, a warrior, a queen, a… mate. He would never be hers. That would never be a possibility. He hadn't realized how he really felt about her until just now, as she lay dying… Dying...because of her mentor, the one cat she had looked up to the most. He had killed her. And why? For what purpose?

Were they on opposite sides, after all?

Was Eaglefeather spying for Heatstar, finding out which cats were loyal to him or not? And he had pretended to be against Heatstar, to garner the trust and loyalty of others, who would then confide their fears to him? So he could report it to Heatstar?

In other words, Eaglefeather… was a traitor to his Clanmates. Nightbolt could feel his blood start to boil. And this cat called himself a warrior?! He was not deserving of the title! Not! At! All!

It was time to go into battle.

He and Redwhisker exchanged a mutual glance. Nightbolt turned to face Eaglefeather. "For Flashpaw!" he screamed, then charged, Redwhisker at his side.

…

Flashpaw struggled through the darkness. It was like mud, seeping into her fur, choking her. She tried to scream for help, but the darkness only rushed down her throat, clogging it, preventing her from breathing. _StarClan, save me_, she thought, paws churning desperately.

A deep voice wormed into her mind. _Nobody can save you now…_

Flashpaw blacked out.


End file.
